End register adjusting mechanisms for driven shafts



Oct. 4, 1955 A. P. BAMFORD END REGISTER ADJUSTING MECHANISMS FOR DRIVEN SHAFTS Filed July 5, 1951 2 Shea 11s-Sheet l INVENIOR. ,Ba/Wfa/d M- Oct. 4, 1955 A. P. BAMFORD 2,719,763

END REGISTER ADJUSTING MECHANISMS F' OR DRIVEN SHAFTS Filed July 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 END REGISTER ADJUSTING MECHNISMS FOR DRIVEN SHAFTS Arthur P. Bamford, East Orange, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to E. G. Staude Manufacturing Company, Inc., Concord, N. H., a corporation of New Hampshire Original application June 23, 1949, Serial No. 100,890. Divided and this application July 5, 1951, Serial No. 235,304

11 Claims. (Cl. 308-176) This invention relates generally to end register adjusting mechanisms for driven shafts and this application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 100,890, tiled June 23, 1949 and issued May 5, 1953 as Patent No. 2,637,270. More specifically the invention relates to the end register adjusting mechanism for driven shafts by which the printing cylinder of an intaglio printing press is adjusted axially in accordance with registry requirements during printing.

As disclosed herein the invention is shown as applied to a multicolor intaglio printing press consisting of two identical units each of which is adapted to print a different color on a web being fed through the press. Each unit comprises a printing cylinder, an inking mechanism by which ink is sprayed onto the printing cylinder, a doctor blade mechanism by which the ink is spread over the printing cylinder, an adjustable pressure roll vby which the web is held against the printing cylinder during printing and a drying and exhaust mechanism for drying the ink on the web after printing.

The printing cylinder is mounted on a carriage which is supported by wheels riding on a track which facilitate the removal thereof from the machine. The carriage includes bearing blocks which are insertable in the frame of the machine and support the weight of the printing cylinder when the carriage is in printing position. A hand ratchet mechanism is provided which may be used to ratchet the carriage into vor withdraw the carriage from its printing position. When the carriage is withdrawn sufficiently to remove the bearing blocks from the frame it rests on its rollers and may readily be moved out of the press.

The carriage also carries ink applicator tubes which are disposed on opposite sides of the printing cylinder and are independently adjustable to accommodate cylinders of different diameters. An ink reservoir is mounted on separate casters and is positionable to supply inlt to the applicator tubes through coupling members which are automatically separated when the reservoir is removed. The reservoir carries an ink feed pump and adjusting valves for controlling the supply of ink to the respective tubes.

The carriage also carries the end register adjusting mechanism which constitutes the subject matter of this application. This mechanism is provided for accurately adjusting the axial position of the printing cylinder and is controlled by a manually operable hand wheel which is accessible from the front of the machine. ing cylinder is driven from a main drive shaft which runs along the back of the machine and drives all of the units. The connection to the main drive shaft is made through suitable running register adjusting mechanism in the form of planetary gearing which provides an accurate control of the running register of the cylinder.

The principal object of the invention is to provide in an intaglio printing press improved means by which the axial position of the printing cylinder may be accurately adjusted in accordance with registry requirements.

The printice Other and more limited objects of the invention w-ill be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof wherein:

Fig. l is a central vertical longitudinal section through the printing cylinder and carriage in position in the press,

with the end register adjustingmechanism being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the end register adjusting mechanism, and

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2. k

As shown in Figure 1, the printing cylinder is mounted in a carriage which comprises a front plate and a back plate 126 joined by side plates 127. Spacer bars 128 are attached on the inside of the side plates -127 with their lower ends extending slightly below -thebottoms of the side plates. The spacer bars 128 carry lower side plates 129 which extend nearly to the bottom ofA the end plates and are joined by a bottom plate 130. lA plurality of wheels 131 are attached to the lower side plates 129 by means of studs 132. In the form shown three wheels 131 are spaced along each side of the carriage.

The back plate 126 is bolted to the lower half 133 of a split bearing block 134. The outer peripheral surface of the bearing block 134 is cylindrical and seats in a cylindrical surface 139 in the rear frame 41. The bearing block 134 is slidable axially with the carriagel into the rear frame 41. v

The bearing block 134 carries a bearing housing 140 which is secured in the internal bore of said block and ris held against axial movement by a shoulder 141 and a plate 142 which is attached theretov by screws 143.' The bearing housing is provided with a cylindrical inner surface 145' in which the outer'ballvrace 14.6 is mounted for axial sliding movement in response to axial adjustment of `.the printing cylinder. The outer race 146 v*carries roller bearings 147 engaging an inner race ,148. The inner race is mounted on the cylindrical outer surface of a sleeve 150 having a tapered inner surface 151 which is seated on the tapered end 152iof a shaft 153 and is lliglsd in position by a nut 154 having a clamping screw The other end plate 125 of the carriage is bolted to the Y lower half 156 of a rectangular bearing block 15,7. The bearing block 157 is slidably mounted in a rectangular opening 160 in the front frame 40 and is provided with flanges '162 and 161 by which it is positioned in the frame. The front plate 125 is providedV with la rectangular inl; return opening 163 registering with an opening 164 in the bearing block 157. The sides and bottom'of ,the bearing block 157 may be tapered slightly to facilite its insertion in the rectangular opening 160 in the front frame 40. The block 157 has a` cylindrical inner opening 165 in which a bearing housing 167 is mounted and is held in position by a iiange 168 and a plate 169 which is attached thereto bolts 170. The bearing housing 167 `isrprovided with a cylindrical inner bore 171 in which an outer race 172 of a roller bearing is slidably moin 1ted. The outer' race 172 carries rollers 173 which engage an inner race '174 mounted on a sleeve 1,75 having a tapered Ainner surface 176 which is seated on the tapered end v'177 'of the shaft 153. The inner race 176 is heldin position by a shoulder 178 von the sleeve 175 and a nut *179 which is threaded onto said sleeve. l 4 i v Y The shaft 153 has an enlarged frusto conical portion 1804formed integral' therewith. The printing cylinder 181 is provided with endpieces 182 and 183 which are press fittedV therein against` shoulders 184- and 1854, respectively. The end piece 182 is provided with a tapered inner bore registering with the conical section v of the shaft 153 and radapted to seat thereon. A key 186 engages a slot 187 in theend piece 182 to prevent relative rotation between the shaft 153 and the printing cylinder 181. The end piece 183 is provided with a tapered bore 190 in which a tapered split ring 91 seats. The ring 191 is provided With a cylindrical inner surface adapted to engage a corresponding surface on the shaft 153 and is forced into clamping position by means of a nut 192 which is threaded on the shaft 153. The arrangement is such that the printing cylinder is securely positioned on the shaft 153 by tightening the nut 192, but may be removed by first removing the nut 192 and then forcing the end plate 182 endwise from the conical surface 180. The shaft 153 is shown as provided with deector rings 195 to prevent ink from owing along the shaft into the respective bearings.

The end register mechanism for adjusting the axial position of the shaft 153 and of the printing cylinder 181 is shown in detail in Figures 2 and 3.

Referring first to Fig. 2, the sleeve 175 is formed with a reduced extension 200 which extends around a reduced extension 201 on the shaft 153. The sleeve is held in position on the shaft 153 by means of nuts 202 which are threaded onto the end of the shaft. The plate 169 is provided with a cylindrical extension 203 having an internal thread 204 and an external spur gear 205. A sleeve 206 is provided with external teeth 207`which are threaded into the teeth 204 of the extension 203 of the plate 169. The sleeve 206 also has formed on the periphery thereof an external gear 208 which has one less tooth than the gear 205. In the embodiment shown the gear 205 has 54 teeth and the gear 208 has 53 teeth. Between the sleeve 200 and the extension 203 is a thrust bearing comprising inner races 209 clamped between a shoulder 210 on the extension 200 and a clamping nut 211 which is threaded onto said extension, and outer races 212 which are seated in the internal bore of extension 203 between a shoulder 213 and the end of the clamping sleeve 214 which extends Within the bore of the sleeve 206 and is secured by bolts 215. The inner and outer races 209 and 212 carry balls forming a thrust bearing which makes the sleeve 175 follow the axial movement of the sleeve 206 as the latter is threaded axially in the cylindrical extension 203 of the plate 169. A split plate 216 is rotatably mounted in an annular groove 217 in the extension 203 and is bolted to an annular flange 218 about a cylindrical housing 219 carrying a hand wheel 220 at the free end thereof. The ange 218 is provided with a flange 221 which surrounds the split plate 216. The housing 219 has an offset portion 222 in which a spur gear 223 is rotatably mounted by means of bearings 224 carried in the housing 219 and bearings 225 carried in the split plate 216. The spur gear 223 meshes with both of the gears 205 and 208 and constitutes a planet gear which rotates around the stationary gear 205 when the housing 219 is rotated by means of the hand wheel 220.

Due to the planetary action of the gear 223 and the difference in the number of teeth in the gears 205 and 208 a complete rotation of the hand wheel 220 causes the sleeve 206 to rotate through a distance of only one tooth, which causes the sleeve 206 to be threaded in or out depending upon the direction of rotation with respect to the stationary thread 204 on the extension 203 of l the plate 169. Hence the hand wheel 220 provides an extremely accurate control of the axial position of vthe printing cylinder and provides a convenient means for adjusting the same. v

In the embodiment shown fifty-three complete revolutions of the hand Wheel 220 cause a single revolution of the sleeve 206, which will advance thesleeve by the disstance of one thread in the extension 203.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that I have provided a very efficient mechanism of relatively simple construction for accurately adjusting the axial position of an intaglio printing press printing cylinder ,during printing in accordance with registry requirements.

It is to be understood that I am not limited to the specific construction shown and described herein as various modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. An end register adjusting mechanism for a driven shaft comprising a driven shaft, an axially slidable sleeve carrying a bearing in which one end of said driven shaft is joined and connected to feed said bearing and said shaft axially, a fixed support, said sleeve being threaded in said support and rotatable for feeding axially along said threads in response to rotation of said sleeve, and a planetary drive for said sleeve comprising a xed gear carried by said support, an aligned gear on said sleeve with a different number of teeth from said fixed gear, a planet gear meshing with both of said last gears, and a housing carrying said planet gear, said housing being mounted for rotation about the axis of said first gears.

2. An end register adjusting mechanism for a driven shaft comprising a driven shaft, an axially slidabie sleeve carrying a bearingin which one end of said driven shaft is joined and connected to feed said bearing and said shaft axially, a fixed support, said sleeve being threaded in said support and rotatable for feeding axially along said threads in response to rotation of said sleeve, and a planetary drive for said sleeve comprising a fixed gear carried by said support, an aligned gear on said sleeve with a different number of teeth from said fixed gear, a planet gear meshing with both of said last gears, a housing carrying said planet gear, said housing being mounted for rotation about the axis of said first gears, and a hand Wheel carried by said housing for adjustment thereof.

3. An end register adjusting mechanism for a driven shaft comprising a driven shaft, an axially slidable sleeve carrying a bearing in which one end of said driven shaft is joined and connected to feed said bearing and said shaft axially, a fixed support, said sleeve being threaded in said support and rotatable for feeding axially along said threads in response to rotation of said sleeve, and a planetary drive for said sleeve comprising a fixed gear carried by said support, an aligned gear on said sleeve with a different number of teeth from said fixed gear, a planet gear meshing with both of said last gears, and a housing carrying said planet gear, said housing being mounted for rotation about the axis of said first gears, said first gears differing by one tooth whereby a complete rotation of said housing causes said sleeve to advance the distance of one tooth.

4. An end register adjusting mechanism for a driven Y shaft comprising a driven shaft, an internally screw threaded ring adapted to be rigidly secured about one end of said shaft, an externally screw threaded sleeve threaded into said ring for axial movement upon rotation thereof, Y

means connecting said shaft to said sleeve for axial movement therewith, a easing disposed about said ring and said sleeve for rotation about the axes thereof, and speed reduction gearing within said casing through which rotation of said casing imparts a slower rate of rotation to said sleeve.

5. An end register adjusting mechanism as set forth in claim 4 in which said speed reduction gearing comprises a fixed gear carried by said ring, an aligned gear carried by said sleeve and having a dierent number of teeth from said fixed gear, and a planet gear carried by said casing in mesh with said fixed gear and said aligned gear.

6. An end register adjusting mechanism for a driven shaft comprising a driven shaft, a pair of spaced bearing members in which the ends of said shaft are journalled, at least one of said bearing members being slidably mounted in a fixed supporting member, a fitting removably secured to the one end of said shaft and interposed between said shaft and said slidably mounted bearing member, an internally screw threaded ring rigidly secured to said fixed supporting member about said fitting, an externally screw threaded sleeve threaded into said ring for axial movement upon rotation thereof, means connecting said fitting to said sleeve for axial movement therewith, a rotatable casing enclosing said ring and said sleeve, and speed reduction gearing within said casing operative upon rotation of said casing to impart a slower rate of rotation to said sleeve.

7. An end register adjusting mechanism as set forth in claim 6 in which said speed reduction gearing comprises a fixed gear carried by said ring, an aligned gear carried by said sleeve and having a different number of teeth from said fixed gear, and a planet gear carried by said casing in mesh with said fixed gear and said aligned gear.

8. An end register adjusting mechanism as set forth in claim 7 in which said means connecting said fitting to said sleeve comprises a thrust bearing having inner and outer races, said inner race being carried by said fitting and said outer race being carried by said sleeve.

9. An end register adjusting mechanism as set forth in claim 6 in which said means connecting said fitting to said sleeve comprises a thrust bearing having inner and outer races, said inner race being carried by said fitting and said outer race being carried by said sleeve.

10. An end register adjusting mechanism for a driven shaft comprising a driven shaft, a pair of spaced fixed supporting members, a pair of bearing members in which the ends of said shaft are journalled, one of said bearing members being slidably mounted in each of said fixed supporting members, a fitting removably secured to one end of said shaft and interposed between said shaft and one of said bearing members, another fitting removably secured to the other end of said shaft and interposed between said shaft and the other of said bearing members, an internally screw threaded ring rigidly secured to one of said fixed supporting members about said another fitting, an externally screw threaded sleeve threaded into said ring for axial movement upon rotation thereof, a thrust bearing interposed between said sleeve and said another tting through which axial movement of said sleeve is imparted to said another fitting, a casing rotatably mounted on said ring for rotation about the axis thereof, and speed reduction gearing within said casing operative upon rotation of said casing to impart a slower rate of rotation to said sleeve.

11. An end register adjusting mechanism as set forth in claim 10 in which said speed reduction gearing comprises a xed gear carried by said ring, an aligned gear carried by said sleeve and having a dierent number of teeth from said xed gear, and a planet gear carried by said casing in mesh with said fixed gear and said aligned gear.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,181,999 Drake May 9, 1916 1,549,222 Shiefer Aug. 11, 1925 1,632,571 Watson June 14, 1927 1,652,661 Dickson Dec. 13, 1927 1,777,490 Hardie Oct. 7, 1930 2,121,105 Shields June 21, 1938 2,234,674 Jacobson Mar. 11, 1941 2,341,202 Barber Feb. 8, 1944 2,416,495 Piazze Feb. 25, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 317,153 Germany Dec. 12, 1919 461,969 France Ian. 16, 1914 

